car – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

Rollin' On Open Highway

Posted on June 14, 2014 by LFFL

I love an open highway. This is right up there with being in a store all by myself—having open highway all to myself. I can never get enough of the simple pleasures of life. This is what you call stress free driving.

Granted, this was super early in the morning—but that’s neither here nor there. It was such a pretty day—car music blaring, the sun was out, the skies were clear, it was beautifully warm outside. Ahhh, my joys.

Does this mean I’m a loaner, anti-social, not a people person just because I like places and spaces to myself? I don’t think so—but who knows? Once again, I was out getting errands and shopping done and you know how I need to be in and out of a place and back home before the whole world wakes up and wants to join me. Oh, the stress of just thinking about the madness that can swarm me at any moment.

Shopping done, errands done and the world is still asleep—now I can enjoy the rest of my day and weekend. Saddle up and ride. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, take to the open highway at an hour when you can have it all to yourself—and just drive.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Evaluate whether you actually like people or not.

When You Think Your Car Is 'All That'

Posted on May 27, 2014 by LFFL

Gritting my teeth.

Yeah, I carry these around everywhere.

After driving around aimlessly for hours in a crowded parking lot looking for a parking spot, I got rushes of adrenaline when I finally found an open space. You know the feeling—Oh, JOY!!

But as you can see, I’m not even close to being in line with the car next to me. Why? Because someone thought their car deserved two spaces all to itself! They were parked crooked, too. So even though I made an attempt to wedge in there, I just couldn’t make it.

Sooooooo, now I’m not a happy camper because this was clearly uncalled for and I’m tired of driving around in circles for a parking space.

I don’t know why people insist on making me reach into my glove box for my pad of yellow parking tickets. Oh, trust me, I’m not leaving until one of these is plastered onto their windshield. I don’t have ANY problem standing behind their car while I fill out the paperwork.

And I DO take the time to fill out all the necessary blocks of information—the time of violation, the make, model, and license number of said car—just so there’s no mistaking who I’m clearly irritated with!!

I know it freaks people out as they’re walking to their cars and can see a yellow ticket face-down on their windshields—or even better—as they’re starting to drive off. Then to have to pull over and pull it off. (Insert evil laugh here.)

So if you see one of these yellow bad boys on your car windshield under the wiper blade, YEAH, IT WAS ME!!! If I had to resort to these measures, you can believe I was ticked off with your lack of regard for other drivers—like your car is SO special!!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, let’s see if we can’t try to keep our cars within the lines of the one space we’re allotted per vehicle, shall we?

Take-Away Life Lesson: It’s not much different from coloring within the lines when you were a child, people.

The Beauty Of My Morning

Posted on April 27, 2014 by LFFL

It’s going to be a beautiful day!

Oh, what a beautiful morning! I love when I’m up early and get to see things like this. Right when I exited off the highway, I saw this gorgeous sunrise.

I love that the weather is finally getting and staying warm. And to think I had to suffer through the horrid months of winter just to get back to this point!

And to see a beautiful sunrise like this? Thank goodness for 24-hour grocery stores! This affords me to be able to shop at 4:00, 5:00, or 6:00am if I’m so inclined to avoid the herd of riff raff that will be shopping in the stores a few hours later. I mean, who wants to be around hundreds of people when you’re trying to get your shopping done?

I’m a much happier person when I’m the ONLY person in the store and have the place all to myself. Never mind that I look like I just rolled out of bed—well, I guess, technically I did. But still—I like being the only human shopping in a store.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, do some early morning shopping in a 24-hour store. And if 5:00 in the morning is too early for you, try the other end and do late night shopping at MIDNIGHT. You pretty much get the same benefits on either end of the clock—the store to yourself!!!

Take-Away Life Lesson: You never know what beauty you’ll be surprised by when you’re out on an early morning drive.

I'm On The Case In Hot Pursuit!

Posted on January 25, 2014 by LFFL

Sooooo, I was out gallivanting early this morning and had to make a pit stop at someone’s residence before heading to another. Just a couple of quick errands is all.

I park my car on the street, put my hazards on, run into a building, and just happened to look out the window of the building as I was leaving it two minutes later when a car pulls up alongside my car very slowly.

Now—I thought this was very suspicious behavior because there was a vast amount of parking directly behind my vehicle. So why pull parallel to my car????? Hmmmmm? That’s odd.

Someone jumps out on the passenger side, proceeds to try to open my driver’s side door with no luck since it was locked, and hops back into the car and they leave as if nothing happened.

And, I myself, being Nancy Drew and all was on the case! The Sherlock Holmes was itching to come out in me. Though I probably shouldn’t have been on the case in the first place.

These so-called thugs never saw me at all when they did this dastardly act. So I sprinted down the stairs out the door and hopped into the car with detective hat on.

Naturally, I turn down the side street that I saw them turn down and I followed with cell phone in hand. I finally caught up to the thugs and was directly behind them when I tried to take a picture of their license plate—but my cell phone did not focus clearly in time before they made another turn. (Dumb blurry cell phone!)

How could I completely forget about my brand new camera I had on me which would have done wonders with its zoom factor and all?! Dang it! Well I followed the heathens just a couple blocks before they realized I was the same car that they just tried to pry open.

Now the chase was on! They started driving like maniacs trying to dodge me as best they could. It wasn’t the smartest thing for me to do and I probably won’t do it again—but in this instance, at least I scared the dickens out of them. After a few blocks, I gave up. My life wasn’t worth all that.

What a couple of lowlife thugs. I mean—how pathetically sad is your life that you choose to attempt to break into cars early on Saturday mornings with your time. I really should feel sorry for the bloody blokes that their lives have come to this. Poor souls.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, be on the lookout for bad guys. Make sure your car doors are always locked and the inside of your car clean, spotless, and empty—and maybe don’t chase after the bad guys when you do see them. Leave that to our lovely officers. (Unless there’s a child involved in a snatching, of course—then IT’S ON AND POPPIN’ till you run out of gas!!)

Take-Away Life Lesson: Always have your local emergency services on speed-dial on your celly for situations such as these.

Eatin' Concrete And Gettin' A Nose Wash

Posted on July 3, 2013 by LFFL

Culver’s Concrete with a Butterfinger and a Heath candy bar.

Since I’m free from working this week, it affords me time to enjoy myself in a myriad of ways. What to do, what to do? Hmmm.

I’ll tell you one thing……….I soooooo deserved this bundle of concrete today! After getting to-go/take-away food from my hometown diner today, a friend of mine offered to buy me one of these bad boys—and who am I to turn down FREE FOOD?! We go across the street from the diner to Culver’s and I order up.

Now let me tell you why I deserve this—I got a free nose-rinsing at my dentist’s office today!! That’s right! No, seriously.

My twice-yearly-teeth-cleaning turned into a needle-producing jab of a cavity-filling which ultimately turned into the little water sprayer going full-blast up one of my nostrils while I was laying all the way back in the chair!

My mouth is in one spot, my nose in another so—HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! I quickly sat up and gagged while I was handed tissue. I drowned in that moment, people. I think I needed CPR—not TISSUE! It’s a wonder I’m alive at all right now.

My mouth was numb from the cavity filling, my face felt enormously fat, and I had water in me where it should not be. YEAH, I deserved an ice cream!

Afterwards, I gave myself a little ‘happy’ at the nail salon—only the chick that usually does my pedicure was FULLY BOOKED for the entire day!! When has THAT ever happened in all the years I’ve been going there??? Never, I tell you. I always walk-in with no problem.

It must be a 4th of July thing. So I had to take whoever I could get. Her husband, who does my manicure, tells me to just make an actual appointment next time. I GUESS SO!

When did THAT start up again? Last time he had banned appointments, period! I guess I didn’t get the memo. And when did she become so popular all of a sudden?!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try a Culver’s Concrete with all your favorite fixins inside. No need to wait until you’re jabbed in the mouth or going through an unimaginable torture. You deserve a Concrete just BECAUSE!

Take-Away Life Lesson: Bring a clothes pin or a chip clip with you on your next trip to the dentist’s office to keep your nose pinched together and save yourself from a drowning.

Grilled Cheese Drivin'

Posted on July 1, 2013 by LFFL

5-Way Grilled Cheese Sandwich with American, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses on thick-cut egg bread.

Ohhh the CHEEEEESE!! Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich?! Say what, say whaaat!

I always seem to have every intention of getting to-go/take-away food for eating at home—but my food never seems to make it there. Apparently, I will always set up my car as a dining area before I set off driving.

So I made my 5,327th pit stop to my hometown diner. What else is new? But because I couldn’t wait to get home to eat my 5-way grilled cheese sandwich like a normal human being, I opted to eat like an animal instead.

Hence, crumbs were everywhere—the entire car seat, floor mat, my shirt, and my jeans had thousands of crispy bread crumbs all over the place. But I didn’t care. Being in the moment is all that matters when you’re clearly a food addict enjoying yourself.

To sink your teeth into 5 different cheeses at once—ooooooooo and double ooooooooo!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, slap 5 different cheeses onto some bread and make your own grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet, on a grill, or in a panini maker and experience the joy that I did.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Keep a mini-vac in the car for clean-up for the times you’re clearly not in control of yourself around to-go food that was technically meant to be eaten at home as a more classy and sophisticated individual.

Out Of Turkey They Say

Posted on June 25, 2013 by LFFL

Turkey Melt sandwich with sliced turkey, Swiss cheese, bacon, and sourdough bread.

Around 4:00pm yesterday, I phone-in a to-go/take-away order from my local hometown diner—“a turkey melt sandwich,” I say. Well, no such luck. They’ve been outta turkey all day! I guess the lunch rush earlier sucked for them since they couldn’t make most of their sandwiches or salads because their turkey was missing.

Well, the no-turkey-thing threw me for a loop. I didn’t have a backup plan and was freaking out—umm, umm, umm. I mean, how hard is it to just order something else? After about 10 ‘umms,’ I hurriedly tell them to just get me a tuna croissant instead. Yeah, they had tuna. Phew.

The guy taking my order asks if I want my ‘usual Monday bread pudding.’ (Man, they know me all too well.) But I clearly tell him ‘NO, not this time—just the sandwich.’ (I’ve no clue why I said NO, but I did.)

When I get to the diner right after 4:00—LOW AND BEHOLD—they get lashings of turkey coming through the back door. Yay! The guy that took my order rushes to the front line to halt the tuna order and they make my turkey melt instead.

I pay, he packs my to-go sack—and WHY does he give me a FREE BREAD PUDDING anyway?!! ROCK ON, DUDE! It was already made and sitting there when I walked in the door, but I thought it was for someone else. They just LOOOVVVE me there!! I go there way too much. Such are the perks of being a ‘regular’ customer—(and I’m really nice to them, too).

When I get to the car, I set everything up dining-table-style before pulling off. I open the box with my turkey melt inside and I’m sooooo disappointed. I hate when it doesn’t look like anything special. I mean, just LOOK AT IT! It wasn’t pimped out even a little like I thought it’d be.

I really could have made that puny sandwich much cheaper at home myself within 30 seconds. BUT—the free bread pudding made up for it. Clearly, I should have stuck with my 2nd option of the tuna croissant—which I happened to order today! See how much better it looks?

Tuna Croissant—tuna salad on a croissant.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, find a favorite diner you love, order up some good food, show your face on a regular, and get to know the workers. Call the servers by name, tell them yours, and tip well. They’re usually more than happy to bend over backwards for you. Always ‘get in good’ with them. You never know what kind of perks will come out of it.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Apparently, some sandwiches you should just make at home yourself.